


I’ve never dreamed that I’d meet somebody like you

by skylabluthor



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Basically another Hizzie Hogwarts AU because I'm the biggest HP trash ever, F/F, Josie/Landon is mentioned but nobody panic it's just one line, More characters to be added, Sissie is also mentioned but dw, There's nothing straight about this fic, Will have smut maybe, but it's mostly cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:01:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23755042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skylabluthor/pseuds/skylabluthor
Summary: My continuation of "And if I love you, maybe you love me too". But it's not just smut this time.It's Lizzie and Hope's story at Hogwarts. Set in their sixth year, obviously before my previous fic.Lizzie befriends a wolf in the Forbidden Forest and that wolf happens to be the girl she hates the most.Read it if you're up for a whole sequence of Hope and Lizzie hating each other, then loving each other.Slytherin!Hope ; Gryffindor!Lizzie
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman
Comments: 37
Kudos: 183





	1. Chapter 1

If anyone would have suggested Lizzie Saltzman was lost, she would’ve stuck a tree branch in their neck. No. Lizzie Saltzman was not lost. She was just taking a walk in the woods, and lost track of time, and speaking of track… well… maybe she didn’t know how to go back to the Castle.

But no, Lizzie Saltzman wasn’t lost. She wasn’t. She just needed a minute or two to know where she was. _Stupid mental instability_. If it hadn’t been for yet another awful episode of hers, she wouldn’t have been in the woods in the first place. And certainly, half of her books in her shelf would’ve very much appreciated it if she could just… well, control herself. _Focus, Lizzie._

There it was, again, the anxious feeling she always got before she went all witch bipolar. And she was alone, at night, in the woods, about to lose her mind and the whole point of going for a walk became useless.

She sat there, resting her head against a tree. Perhaps if she started walking the opposite direction, she would find her way back. Maybe, she’d never find her way back. She had been so lost in her own head that at some point she forgot why she was there in the first place. She had kept walking almost by inertia, which led her to that tree she was resting against.

She reached a spot in the woods where the trees all opened to a beautiful night sky full of stars. It felt like staring to a valley with a whole different moonlight shinning oh so bright… it was almost magical the way its light barely creeped in and wouldn’t dare reach further into the forest. It was almost as if nature would want to hide something among the trees. And she wondered, for just one second, if nature had secrets too.

And as if the Cosmos could hear her thoughts, _maybe it could_ , Lizzie found herself staring at two bright yellow dots in the distance. Away enough for her to not fully understand what they were. Standing up once again, she felt the pull towards them. Should she run? Should she get closer? It was one of those moments in Lizzie’s life where she felt unusually calmed despite her usual hysterical antics and neurotic responses to common struggles. But no, not this time. Maybe it was something about the moon, about her green surroundings, or the fact that she couldn’t be any more doomed, that told her nothing that beautiful could be dangerous.

Then it hit her, as she got another step closer, already exposed under the moon’s bright light, still no fear, only a slight wariness that told her to not get any closer. Those yellow things were eyes. And maybe she should have run, or reached for her wand, but isn’t that what all dumb girls in horror movies do? The monster chase after them and they eventually die? In that moment, she felt like she met all the requirements. In that moment, she felt like the main character of the worst story ever written.

Screams and blood in a place that looks like a fairy tale. _How ironic._ She took one step back instead, her eyes never leaving the yellow ones that were so fixed in her and every move she made. It was then she saw the creature, as she walked backwards, the animal walked forward. It was some sort of cat and mouse dynamic Lizzie wished she could just skip and either die or wake up in the comfort of her bed.

“Of course, of all the muggle tales, I had to be Little Red Riding Hood and not Snow White. I never get good things.” Lizzie said out loud, moving her hands in emphasis.

As if the animal could understand it tilted it head, and Lizzie was both taken aback an annoyed.

“I mean of course of all the fluffy and unthreatening animals I could’ve encountered I had to come across a fucking wolf” She huffed again. And then it hit her. She wasn’t being chased; she was being listened to. Oh, maybe, best case scenario, she was dreaming. Imagine how nice. Like Alice in Wonderland. _Besides I can totally pull an Alice and blue looks great on me._

But the wolf kept coming closer, and she kept taking steps back, until…

“Ouch!” She fell, Lizzie Saltzman just fell on her ass with a scrunched face in front of a wolf. _Well she was doomed, again._

And then, if she didn’t know already that she was crazy, she would’ve certainly believed it now. The wolf was resting its head on its paws, swirling its tail. Like making fun of Lizzie somehow.

“This isn’t funny and it’s all your fault” She eyed the animal, which suddenly didn’t feel so threatening. It was big, as white as snow from head to tail and its ears look small in comparison with the rest of its body, but if anything, that made it look majestic, like a creature worth admiring. And Lizzie could just sit there staring into its yellow eyes as if she was in a trance, she had forgotten about her crisis, and her episode, and frankly she was even glad she was lost.

The sting in her hand, however, reminded her where she was. She brought her hand up and saw the cut in the palm of her left hand. As if smelling the blood, the wolf got closer, and Lizzie once again tried to remind herself that this was a wild animal.

If anyone would have told Lizzie she was lost in the woods, with a wolf, of all animals, licking the blood off her hand, she would have sent them to therapy. But here she was. And when the wolf looked satisfied with its work it pulled away, resting its head in its paws again and looking up at Lizzie, as it if meant no harm. And maybe it didn’t.

“Are you alone too?” And this seemed to change the wolf’s expression. It scooted closer to Lizzie as if trying to let her know it was there, and Lizzie seemed to understand. She raised her left hand, the one she accidentally hurt, and ran her fingers through the thick fur of the animal lying beside her.

“You know, when I got to this exact same spot, I just knew, that nothing this beautiful could be dangerous.”

And she smiled, like she hadn’t done in months. Not even with Sebastian, her ex-boyfriend, or Josie, her sister, she had ever felt this calm. Lizzie wanted to believe those therapies with animals did work and that is why she felt all that serenity and peace in the air.

She wasn’t sure how long they stood there, but as the moon kept moving across the sky, she realized she should go back.

“If only I knew how to go back” She whispered. And the animal responded again. It got up and started walking. Turning only to see if Lizzie was following her.

Lizzie blinked a few times, _it’s like you understand_.

She followed, they walked side by side for about ten minutes, Lizzie’s hand never losing contact with the wolf, fearing it’d disappear.

Of course, Lizzie hadn’t really gone that deep into the forest, but in her defence, she’d been distracted. She walked towards the gates and felt the warmth of her companion disappear. She turned around and the wolf was already gone.

 _As if it had never happened_. And Lizzie was used to seeing things that weren’t there. Feelings, people.

The walk to the Gryffindor Common Room wasn’t long, but for the second time during the day, she didn’t feel like being trapped inside the castle.

And if her night hadn’t been eventful enough, she saw Hope Mikaelson walking in her direction.

Hope Mikaelson. With her long hair, blue eyes, her annoying Slytherin attire walking around the castle with a tired expression and a look in her face that practically screamed ‘you’ll never be good enough to be near me’.

 _That annoying she-devil Slytherin Hope Mikaelson._ As they walked past each other, she felt the shorter girl eye her and Lizzie really wasn’t having it, not today.

“Excuse you, Mikaelson. Why don’t you mind your own business? What are you even doing in this side of the castle?” Lizzie turn around, ready to confront her, and all she saw was Hope’s hair and the back of her robe.

“Go back to your dorm, Saltzman. It’s late.” Still no eye contact, no acknowledge of the blonde Gryffindor and if there is anything Lizzie Saltzman could not stand, was people not giving her attention.

She grabbed Hope’s arm and forced her to turn around.

“Cut the crap, Hope. I see you. I see right through you.” And Hope, now looking up at Lizzie’s eyes, looked as confused as a lost puppy.

“What are you even talking about? What happened with your whole ‘being nice’ lifestyle you were being so annoyingly Gryffindor about?” There she is, Hope and her morals and why she was better than the rest for being a Slytherin.

“Gone, I’m back to being me. Now, Mikaelson, what were you even doing here?” She frowned.

“What I do does not concern you, Saltzman. So, you better let me go before I make you sorry for being disrespectful again.”

“And when have you ever been respectful towards me?” Lizzie let go of Hope and crossed her arms.

“You are so unreasonable, Saltzman.”

“And you are so annoying, Mikaelson.” _Bitch._

The next morning as she was mentally preparing herself for Potions like every Monday, Josie joined her in the Great Hall. After their argument the day before, she wasn’t sure Josie would want to even tolerate her for the rest of the day. But there she was, sitting in front of her, muting a shy “good morning” and offering her sister a small smile.

“Good morning, Josie” _What was even the stupid fight about?_ And then, there he was. Landon Kirby. _Ah._

Landon was a Hufflepuff, he and Josie dated for a few weeks before Kirby decided he wasn’t ready for a committed relationship. Which, if you asked Lizzie, she could understand, yet it didn’t mean she respected Landon. Truth be told, there were only few people in this world Lizzie Saltzman respected.

“What do you want, hobbit?” Lizzie groaned in annoyance.

“Uhm... I wanted to sit with you guys for breakfast.” But Josie looked like her mind was somewhere else. Following her gaze, Lizzie realized Josie’s attention was on the Slytherin table.

 _Seriously, what’s with the opposites attract and Gryffindors_. She wasn’t even sure why she even considered that a general rule, but surely it had something to do with Sebastian and the two blissful months they spent together before he broke her heart.

“Josette, you are drooling. May the Squib here and I go back to having your attention before I have to drag your gay ass to Potions, please?” There it was. Lizzie Saltzman’s dry humour.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Josie looked back at Lizzie and then at Landon with a confused look.

“I wasn’t drooling, I was just observing.”

“Oh, trust me, I’m sure Satan’s giant ego over there would disagree.”

“How many times, Lizzie. Penelope isn’t that bad, she actually asked me to partner up with her for today’s project in Potions.” Wait, what?

“I don’t know, Josie. She did turn me into a ferret once. Yup, definitely scary.” Both Saltzman sisters rolled their eyes at this. No doubt Landon was a Hufflepuff.

“Wait, what project? And why on Earth would you not consider that maybe I wanted to do the project with you.”

“Lizzie! This isn’t about you! We do all the projects together. She asked and this time I really wanted to partner up with her.”

“I cannot believe that, out of all people I would expect this betrayal, it came from you. My twin sister, my own blood, my...”

“Lizzie, just calm down, it is one project. We are not having this conversation again. I want to spend time with Penelope, get to know her. I’m sure she isn’t that bad. You should also find a different partner for a change. Put yourself out there. You know? It’s healthy.”

Groaning, both girls got up and headed towards the dungeons for their class. Mondays couldn’t start off worse. Potions with their fellow Slytherins. _Sweet_.

When they got there, Slughorn was already giving instructions for the project. Penelope Park was sitting in the back with a smirk Lizzie just wanted to take off her face. Yes, she can be a little bit overprotective when it came to her sister. Josie was already next to her when Slughorn spoke

“Miss Saltzman, you and Miss Mikaelson are the only ones left without partners. You two will work together.”

Hope, who was right at the front in the classroom, didn’t seem fazed. But to say Lizzie found this outrageous was an understatement.

“Professor I would rather do the project by my…”

“This project will be seventy percent of the final grade and if memory serves me correctly, Miss Saltzman, you do need a good grade in my class to become an auror, so I would suggest you sit with Miss Mikaelson and without questioning my decision again.”

Reluctantly, Lizzie went to sit next to Hope. Who still seemed awfully quiet for someone who has just been partnered up with her worst enemy.

“Got nothing to say, Mikaelson? One would think you’re okay with being partners” _Great, Lizzie, great._

“I don’t mind as long you can keep it civil for once, Saltzman.” Said Hope.

“Very well, you may get up and get all you need to make Veritaserum. You have two hours today to make the potion and a few days before our next class, that should give you time for the potion to mature for a full lunar phase.”

Surprisingly, neither of them dared to say a word to each other. One hour and a half later, they managed to finish the potion in peace. Lizzie would read the instructions and Hope would perform them, they made a pretty good team, for two people who really can’t stand each other since their first grade.

“What do you think Mikaelson, do you think you’re mentally ready to reveal all your secrets?” And in all honesty, Hope knew this was Lizzie’s attempt to be civil. But she was so taken aback by this new development that she couldn’t help herself.

“Are you, Saltzman?” And both knew she didn’t mean to offend Lizzie, but something about their lame attempt at banter didn’t sit right anymore. Lizzie noticed the change in Hope’s mood and the air felt tense. The dungeons seemed smaller, darker, and Lizzie was reminded of how intimidating and suffocating this place felt the first day she stepped into the classroom.

Something about the way Hope look so condescending also reminded her of how much she hated the Slytherin girl.

She made no attempt to reply. Even Lizzie Saltzman was smart enough to not start a fight in the middle of the class. They finished the potion in awkward silence and Lizzie excused herself out of the classroom. She kept playing the look Hope had given her in her head. _Maybe I’m projecting._ And maybe she was. Either way, who gave Hope fucking Mikaelson, of all people, the right to even make any sort of judgment about Lizzie?

And that’s how the rest of her day went. She skipped Defense Against Dark Arts and History of Magic and before she realized, it was getting late and once again she found herself in the Forbidden Forest. It seemed as if she didn’t care about the rules or the dangers of the Forest anymore. Not after the monsters threatening the Castle during her previous years. Not after everything she had been through. With Hope Mikaelson, with her sister, with Sebastian. As the night fell, Lizzie just didn’t care about any of it, any of them. She felt selfish, because Josie had always been there for her, still was, and yet she couldn’t bring herself to care. And she also felt better, because instead of overthinking every night, she would find ways to keep her mind off it all.

This is the reason why every night she’d go to the Forest. She’d walk into the woods to clear her mind. Who were the rest to tell her it was reckless, when all she was doing was take care of herself. _For everyone’s sake_.

And there she was. At the exact same spot she was at the night before. She remembered the wolf she encountered, longing to see it again. She waited. One hour, one hour and a half, two hours… She was beginning to fall asleep against the same tree when she saw a figure approaching, and a smile formed in her lips before she could stop herself.

Lizzie had friends, but most of the time she still felt lonely, because her sister was the perfect friend, the perfect sister, the perfect daughter, the perfect student. And Lizzie couldn’t even compete with that. Not that she cared, because who are we all to put two competent women against each other, specially if said women happen to be sisters. But sometimes Lizzie just wanted to feel more like Josie and less like… Lizzie. _Less broken_.

The wolf did not approach right away, it stood there watching without any attempt to close the distance. But as they kept staring at each other, this time it was Lizzie who took a step towards it. And they met in the middle. Lizzie raised her hand carefully and waited for it to close the distance. Suddenly, her hands touched the soft fur and the thick skin of the yellow eyed creature in front of her.

“You’re a cute little puppy, aren’t you?” And the wolf huffed in annoyance at her words. Lizzie chuckled.

“It’s like you understand everything I say.” Lizzie sat in the grass, and looking up she added “Needed to clear your head too?” As if the wolf could indeed understand, it rolled onto her back as if waiting for Lizzie to caress its tummy. _Oh, it’s a girl_.

“I guess I’m not the only one who feels lonely around here” she said amused at the wolf’s antics.

“Where’s your pack? They’d be pretty upset to know someone in their family is missing, right?” And maybe befriending the lone wolf wasn’t the best coping mechanism in her situation, but perhaps she could have these moments, from now on, where she could rely on someone, something, and feel less alone for a while.

“If you were human, I’m sure we could be friends.” And the swing of her tail told Lizzie that she, indeed, wanted to be her friend. _And the language barrier would me it impossible for us to communicate._

If Lizzie was being honest with herself, she wasn’t sure she liked that. Sure, she was mad at the world, but in this place, she allowed herself to think the rest of the world didn’t exist, that there was just her and this cute little puppy like wolf looking everything from a reasonable distance. Away enough to not be bothered by their problems or obligations. No mental issues. No expectations to live up to. No future to worry about. No monsters to chase. No people to let down.

The wolf was suddenly looking at her. As if she knows me. And maybe she did. Maybe they were meant to form this friendship and be each other’s safe space. After all, the wolf seemed as relaxed as Lizzie.

“You’re such a cute little thing, aren’t you? I can’t believe twenty-four hours ago I thought you could be scary. You’re the cutest little puppy” And there it was again, the smile and voice full of joy she hardly ever heard come out of herself.

“I should go back to the castle. It’s getting late and Professor McGonagall would kill me if she found out I’ve been here. And I really don’t want to run into Hope Mikaelson two nights in a row.” She made a face and the wolf whined at the mention.

“You can’t stand Hope Mikaelson either, huh? We are going to be the best of friends.” She joked. _God, Lizzie. Your life must be so sad if you’re talking to a wolf now._

Her way back to the Castle was like a memory trip through the past two days of her life. Their break for the holidays was coming, and she didn’t feel like going back home. Despite feeling lonely, she didn’t feel like digging a bigger hole into her already messed up enough ego. Josie wasn’t giving her the time of day after she started crushing on Penelope _Satan_ Park which was, to say the least, extremely inconsiderate of Josie, considering she was still bitter about the pure blood scum otherwise known as Sebastian.

Her mind wandered to Hope, then _. Speaking of evil Slytherins_. Well, Hope Mikaelson wasn’t evil. She was just annoying. Her mere existence annoyed Lizzie since the day Hope broke into the Gryffindor Common Room and set Lizzie’s bed on fire for no apparent reason. She felt some sort of dread wash over her as she thought the way Hope looked at her that morning. The idea of Hope acknowledging her mental struggles in any sort of way made Lizzie feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. Luckily for her, tonight she got to her room without running into her.

“Where were you? I was worried, Lizzie.” Of course sweet, caring Josie was worried. She would always remain the only person in Lizzie’s life whose affection was genuine. Josie, and her mother, Caroline.

“I’m sorry, Jo. I needed to clear my head.”

“What’s gotten into you these days, Lizzie? You know you can tell me.” There it was the condescending tone again. But she knew Josie, and Josie Saltzman could do no wrong.

“Nothing, I’m fine. I promise.” There was a pause before Lizzie decided to actually have a conversation with her sister. “I’m sorry about yesterday. You know I love you no matter what, I was just upset, Jo. You saw how things worked out for me with Sebastian. Penelope, I presume, is no better than him. You know she hates me.”

“Lizzie, not this again. Penelope is nothing like Sebastian. But if she was, don’t you think one day I would eventually have to learn those lessons?”

“I know, I know.” She sat next to Josie on the couch, both staring to the fireplace that was currently keeping them warm. “I’m sorry I made it all about me. I just don’t want you to be heart broken. You’re my sister.”

“And I appreciate that Lizzie” said Josie reaching out to grab Lizzie’s hand. “But if I do, I know you will be there. Like how you were there when Landon dumped me.”

Lizzie groaned at the memory.

“Honestly, Josette, I can’t believe your standards went so low to think Landon Kirby, of all the people in Hell and Hogwarts, would be a decent match for you.”

Josie chuckled at that. It was good to see Lizzie joke again, the light spirited and kind of mean Lizzie Saltzman she knew seemed to be back. And both girls allowed themselves to think the old days were back.

“My point is, we’ve got each other’s back. No matter how bad we fight sometimes. Which, I hope we never do again, by the way.”

“Fine, but if Satan breaks your heart, I will not hesitate to use all three unforgivable curses on her. The Ministry and McGonagall can all come at me.”

“Deal, now please let’s go to sleep. We have a Care of Magical Creatures test to prepare for in the morning.” With that she got up and Lizzie followed.

Then it hit her.

“We have a Care of Magical Creatures test coming up? Since when?!” And all Josie could do was ignore her.


	2. Chapter 2

Hope Mikaelson wasn’t in any way a social person. Everyone knew this and therefore no one ever got too close to her.

They have all heard the stories. About the Mikaelson family. Pureblood. The ancient family of werewolves, witches, vampires. Wherever the Mikaelsons were, death and destruction would follow. Hope could thank her father, Niklaus for that.

Let’s say, whatever small chance Hope had of having a normal life under the standards of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was ruined the moment she, by some cosmic mistake, was born the daughter of Klaus Mikaleson.

She had heard the whispers, because walls sometimes tell secrets that not even the cruellest, or the most decent, person could tell. She lost count of how many times she heard her last name and Voldemort’s name in the same sentence. She has lost count of all those times people would look at her in fear or disgust when they thought she wasn’t looking.

Somehow, she has always known she would never fit in anywhere. Growing up, she had no friends. Of course, she never messed with any of her house mates at school, she respected most of them enough. She even respected the other houses, unlike some other Slytherins.

Lizzie Saltzman, however, was a whole different story. She had nothing against her at the beginning. She remembers the first time she saw the blonde. It was on the train during her first year. She got up as the Honeydukes Express passed and there she was. She remembers how tall she was, and how long her hair was; It seemed to Hope that Lizzie’s hair was almost white back then, in contrast with the soft yellow locks she now carried. But most of all, she remembers the small smile she gave her that day. It was nothing special, not really, but Hope could never forget the feeling of adrenaline that rushed over her, she couldn’t even remember what she was going to buy; whatever it was, it wasn’t as relevant as being noticed by that tall blonde, seemingly sweet little girl.

Until everything started to get personal. Hope couldn’t blame her. In fact, she blamed herself too. She had set Lizzie’s room on fire by the end of that year. In her defence, it was an accident. But who was she to fight against Josie’s concerned comments and warnings about how she was just like her family. The other Gryffindors were no better. Since that day, Lizzie wouldn’t miss any chance to insult her, even when from that day on, all she had ever done was try to go through her years at Hogwarts as smoothly as possible.

But no, Lizzie was so self-centred and so full of herself that she couldn’t leave her alone like the rest did.

Despite their dynamic, Hope knew that behind that queen bitch image Lizzie had built around herself, was someone completely different. Some more empathic, authentic, and certainly more damaged. Maybe they weren’t so different.

And maybe it was that thought she decided to hold onto as she saw her groaning a few tables away in the library. She seemed more focused on whatever it was on one of the corners than in the book in front of her. Following her gaze, she saw Josie and Penelope studying together, too close for it to be just a study session. And before she could stop herself, she was walking towards the blonde Gryffindor.

“Sucks to be ditched by your own sister, doesn’t it?” And the look Lizzie gave her was worth every galleon she had.

“Go. Away.” She spat and tried to go back to her book.

But instead of listening to the blonde, Hope decided to take a sit next to her.

“You know, if you really are here to pass our Care of Magical Creatures Test next week, you’re not exactly doing a good job.”

“Not everyone can charm their way into an A in all subjects, serpent.”

“That’s rich coming from someone who has spent the last 6 years trying to do so.”

“What. Do. You. Want.” Hope thought that if Lizzie could cast a spell with just looking at her, she would’ve set her on fire. If anything, it was amusing, and Hope could use some light banter.

“Nothing really. I saw you here by yourself and thought, ‘why not come and say hi?’ I’m sure it was the highlight of your day, considering how you were so upset while looking at Josie and Penelope over there.”

“I can’t believe she is all heart eyes for that evil snake…” Lizzie started until she realized who was she talking to. “Why am I even talking to you again?”

“Look, you clearly can’t focus, and we are both studying for the same subject. Might as well just try to focus together, right?” Lizzie narrowed her eyes. Not fully trusting the girl.

“What are you up to, Mikaelson?” She said moving away from the girl.

“Look, you know me good enough to know I’m not up to anything. We’re not children anymore. We don’t have to like each other, but may we please be civil, at least until Slughorn’s next class to finish the stupid potion.”

“Fine, but whatever this is has to end after we pass the project. It’s weird.”

“Trust me, I know. But I thought we could still study together.” And eyeing the couple in the corner, she added “Besides, I think both of us could use the company.”

Lizzie couldn’t really disagree with that.

“So, where do we start?”

Meanwhile, in the corner of the library, Penelope and Josie were watching the exchange with a frown.

“Jojo, since when Mikaelson and your sister decided to be civil around each other?”

“Uhm… honestly? I have no idea. I just hope they don’t end up burning the place down.” Penelope chuckled.

“Well, I’m tempted to say only for the epic meltdown before one kills the other.” Penelope smirked and all Josie could do is punch her in her arm. “Ouch! What was that for?”

“That’s my sister we’re talking about. I’d appreciate it if you were more considerate towards her.”

“I know she’s your sister, you don’t need to remind me” Josie rolled her eyes. “I make no promises, but I guess it wouldn’t kill me to try.”

“And that’s all I ask” Josie smiled to her and Penelope bit her lip. It was rather obvious for them both that they were into each other. For weeks now they’ve been trying to spend more time together. It all started out of mere politeness. Their gazes would meet and Josie would smile in acknowledgement.

Eventually, Penelope started to smile back. It wasn’t her usual smirk that said ‘you could be my next plaything’, but a genuine smile in return. Their briefs smiles soon turned into greetings if they walked past each other, which lead them to working together in Potions and now, well, now Josie couldn’t really help herself when Penelope Park, who has always been mean to everyone who wasn’t a fellow Slyhterin, was now being extremely kind to her.

“Do you, maybe, want to hang out somewhere else? I mean… before it gets late, we could relax by the lake and… talk.” And if Josie felt lame and small in that moment, it was surely replaced with satisfaction as Penelope smiled and got up, holding out her hand for Josie to take it.

Hours later, Lizzie and Hope were still in the library, Hope was listening to Lizzie read something about Merlin knows what, she is just too focused on the way the blonde’s hair looks almost blinding in contrast to the setting sun creeping through the window. She eyed Lizzie’s features carefully. The contrast with the sun was so different from the moonlight she had grown so fond of. Although different, Hope couldn’t help but think no light really did her blonde long hair justice.

Her mind wandered to their first year. Lizzie was so focused on the book, she thought she could probably allow herself a minute or two of reminiscence. Lizzie hadn’t really changed since the first day she saw the young Gryffindor. Her eyes seemed just as blue, she still had the same couple of freckles which weren’t really noticeable unless you would be close enough. And Hope was definitely close enough to see all the flaws Lizzie Saltzman didn’t have. _Wait._

“… Although Basilisk breeding was banned in medieval times… Hope? Hope?!”

And Hope was just… staring at her.

“Sorry, what?”

“Do I have something in my head or something?”

“What? No, sorry, my mind went elsewhere.” Hope said, looking away. _Weird_.

“I apologize. I didn’t mean to stare. I was paying attention, until I got distracted, by your hair.”

She instinctively took her hand up to check there was nothing in her hair.

“What’s wrong with my hair?”

“For starters, it’s distracting.” And Lizzie just rolled her eyes as the other laughed out loud at her own response.

Lizzie then looked at the Slytherin sitting right next to her. She hadn’t realized how close they were, but now that she did, she found herself thinking that she didn’t mind. This didn’t change anything, she really despised Hope Mikaelson. But maybe, she wasn’t that much of a bad company, after all. She then caught herself thinking if Hope held actual conversations with anybody in her Common Room.

“In all seriousness,” Hope continued, bringing the blonde back from her own thoughts, “I was just thinking that I like your hair like this. You should always keep it down.”

Her tone expressed nothing but embarrassment. As a wolf, she could stare at Lizzie all she wanted, and she knew Lizzie would even enjoy it. As Hope Mikaelson, the staring surely was awkward. 

Lizzie had to blink a few times, before realizing that this was no dream she could wake up from. This was really happening. And she had been holding her breath. And suddenly whatever she was reading didn’t matter, because Hope’s eyes were shining so bright. _Were her eyes always blue?_

“We… We should get going. To the Great Hall. You know… Dinner.” Seriously? Since when she was a rambling mess around girls, no, not girls, around Hope. Who was smirking as if… _Oh wait a minute._

She was suddenly standing, and suddenly avoiding Hope.

“Move, Mikaelson.” And so, she did.

When they reached the Great Hall, Lizzie turned on her feet to look at the shorter girl once again.

“We can’t go in together, so I will go first, you will walk around for 10 minutes and then go in. Got it?”

“Saltzman, it’s just dinner.”

“I don’t care what it is.” Lizzie said in a mocking tone. “I’ve had enough of you trying to make me feel miserable, Hope. The last thing I want to be associated in any way with you.”

“Bad news, because everyone already thinks we hate each other.”

“And we do!” Hope felt emotionally drained. They were fine half an hour ago. All Hope did was try to be nice… Flirt? Maybe. Who knows? It’s not like she ever tried anyway.

“Speak for yourself”

_What could she possibly mean by that?_

Hope entered the Great Hall, followed by Lizzie who apparently didn’t seem to care that much now that they would be seen together. She quickly found her place next to Josie who was cheerfully chatting with MG.

“If this one of your conversation for comics freaks only I swear I will stick a fork in my eye.” But neither seemed to pay attention as Josie went back to list all the reasons why Wonder Woman would win in a fight against Capitan Marvel. _Really?_

Lizzie then watched as the people slowly came in and the Great Hall became more and more crowded. Professors were in their respective seats making small talk. Students were laughing and casting spells, fooling around the way normal people would.

Then she spotted Hope again. Of course Lizzie has known Hope long enough to know she didn’t isolate herself, not purposely at least. The girl was guarded and Lizzie, all things considered, kind of felt bad for Hope’s miserable past. Kind of. _If she wasn’t secretly a maniac, full of herself, absolute bitch_.

Back to the Slytherin table, Hope really was close enough to other students to easily pretend she had company, still, Lizzie could tell from the Gryffindor table that Hope didn’t care. And that got her thinking of how different she seemed to be from the rest of the people she knew, almost as if she was like some sort of exception to a rule.

She’s always known, Hope was lonely too.

_She got that one coming with her pyromaniac impulses anyway._

Third night, and Lizzie Saltzman was once again sneaking into the forest.

It’s like despite all the things that kept Lizzie awake at night and so on edge during the day, she’d long for the night- time to see the wolf again.

If anyone found out Lizzie was sneaking into the forest to spend time with a wolf… Never mind. Everyone knew she was crazy anyway. Why would it matter if anyone knew?

This time she didn’t need to wait. The wolf stood there, in all her glory, and when she saw Lizzie, she threw herself over her taking Lizzie down with her and licking her face. She laughed and laughed and maybe she and this big puppy would stay both forever this old, this happy.

For the next couple of hours, Lizzie would talk and the wolf would stare at her tilting her head as if trying to pay attention. And how Lizzie loved the attention. Lizzie spoke out loud, about Josie, and her parents, Caroline and Alaric. She didn’t get into much detail of Alaric, but she did talk about how great her relationship with her mother was. Her father was a different story.

And so the night went on. The stars passed bright above and the Forest filled with the blonde’s stories of all sorts. And complaints, because Lizzie wouldn’t be Lizzie if she didn’t. But every comment ended with a small laugh and that was enough. And she felt slightly drunk on the idea of living in a fairy tale.

One could blame the magic. Yes. The forest was filled with danger and beauty in equal measure. But at their spot nothing could hurt them. There seemed to be some sort of barrier spell that kept the dangers of the winter and the night away. And there was silence then, because Lizzie knew, deep in her heart, that maybe not all secrets of nature were dark; maybe some stayed hidden to protect its beauty from all the things that could harm it.

For a moment the young Gryffindor felt eleven again, like the hopeful dreamy girl she used to be, running around with her copy of Hogwarts: A History because there was no corner of the castle she would want to leave unexplored. Josie right behind her. She wondered if all things aged as badly as that did. She wondered if maybe she had been so caught up in her problems that she just lost her own North.

She looked at the wolf who was silently enjoying the way Lizzie’s hand was caressing her ear and wondered if she could feel despair too.

It seemed so unfair, that she could never know anything about where the wolf came from. For the first time ever, it also seemed unfair to Lizzie that she would never get an answer back.

Taking out her wand, she also grabbed a tree branch. And no, maybe she wasn’t the brightest with of her age, but she was studious, and surely had one or two tricks under her sleeve. With the flick of her wand, it was as if the short branch was growing larger and untangling itself until the thinner threads formed a small necklace.

Lizzie’s eyes lit up. It was a beautiful kind of magic, the kind that could only bring joy; the kind to remind you that maybe there is a force somewhere that is bigger and more important than you, or the rest, that can be found in the simpler things because it is there to remind you to always keep your eyes open.

She took it with both hands and put it around the wolf’s neck.

“I read this muggle book once. There was this wolf, kind of like you, and there was this little boy, even though he was nothing like me. The wolf taught the boy what the word ‘tame’ meant. In his own terms, the act of ‘taming’ represents the potential bond between individuals who make one another ‘unique’ by establishing ties.” Lizzie didn’t know why she cared so much to explain, but she sensed that in some sort of weird and complicated way the animal would understand.

“May this represent our bond, like a weird kind of… friendship? I suppose. This will be like the tie that, to me, will make you unique; a wolf unlike the other hundred thousand wolves. And to you, it will make me unique; a girl unlike the other hundred thousand girls.”

The wolf seemed content with both the story and the new collar which was really a necklace. And she laughed, because _how silly._

It wasn’t necessarily uncommon for Lizzie to lose track of time, but when she was interrupted by the morning light she thought this might eventually be a problem. At some point she must have fallen asleep and next to her was her fluffy companion.

It was a miracle she didn’t freeze to death, but the warmth that the wolf irradiated, she thought, must have been enough to keep her warm. What was left of the brightest stars in the sky slowly faded away. The light breeze of the morning cold against her cheeks and Lizzie thought she should go back before anyone realized she wasn’t in her dorm.

She wishes she could stay longer, perhaps it was something about the place itself and not the celestial influence of the silver moon what made it so beautiful. In the pale light of day, the forest still looked full of secrets, and Lizzie’s curious younger self came back for a lingering moment before getting up.

The sleeping wolf seemed to sense Lizzie was awake, and before the blonde could even react, the wolf stood up as well, looked at her one last time and disappeared into the Forest.

“Well that’s just rude.”

Lizzie came back to the castle still bewitched by the rush of emotions from the night. There was still time before their first class, so she allowed herself the privilege of closing her eyes in absolute bliss.

That is the thing about Lizzie Saltzman, sometimes she felt too much. And when she felt pain, her heart was consumed in agony. But when she experienced happiness, it was like she could see the whole world painted a different colour and felt warm and nice and nothing else really mattered.

Meanwhile, in the darkness of the Slytherin Common Room, Hope Mikaelson was lying in bed, eyes wide open, haunted by the idea of a certain Lizzie Saltzman. She was reminded then of that Charles Dickens’ phrase ‘it was the worst of times, it was the best of times’ and she thought that the phrase might as well be some general cosmic rule for most situations in life. She traced the necklace in her neck with her fingers as if trying to memorize every detail. She had to remind herself that Lizzie hadn’t given this to her. She had given this to a friend. _Something she’ll never be_.

But maybe in the Forest she was safe. Safe from their history of rivalry and hate. One-sided hate.

That is the thing about Hope Mikaelson, sometimes she felt too much. So much she couldn’t allow herself to feel at all. And when she felt pain, her heart was consumed in rage. But she remembered happiness, it sounded like the morning breeze, and looked as blue as the clearest sky, and it felt like a kind of warmth she never really felt, and she pictured it as something so nice, perhaps that was all that really mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the sweetest comments in the first chapter. Again, I'm being my hopeless romantic self and just want to skip to the part where they confess their feelings. 
> 
> Patience is a virtue I don't have. 
> 
> Leave comments if you want or yell at me on twitter too @skylabluthor


	3. Chapter 3

The morning went by uneventful. But to be completely honest Lizzie was simply in a good mood. Nothing could ruin her day. She had ‘tamed’ a wolf, as she would say. She clucked at the memory.

Truth be told, Lizzie felt like she could use a break from her usual hysteria to focus on her classes, studying, maybe read some books for her own enjoyment in her spare time and relax. She felt normal for a change.

For the Hope, however, things were slightly different. The small glimpse of joy she felt the previous night vanished as the day went by.

Slytherin and Gryffindor shared most classes, which meant she has been forced to see the blonde for four hours straight. Of course, Lizzie had done nothing wrong. And she had nothing to hold against her. But the mere thought of her, the quickest glance, was enough for Hope to be reminded of the fact that Lizzie hated her. And she would hate her even more if she new her wolf friend was none other than her.

So no, she wasn’t happy. She was bitter. She had this sour taste in her mouth and her throat felt so tight she thought it would be a miracle if she didn’t choke any time soon.

She couldn’t stand looking at Lizzie chatting with Josie, or MG, because maybe, just maybe, if Lizzie knew the truth, she would add this to the list of reasons to hate Hope Mikaelson. Because surely Lizzie had one.

Sometimes Hope wondered if the truth was always worth the heartache.

Because maybe integrity isn’t always synonyms with honesty. Maybe integrity should be more about sticking to one’s own morals and sometimes said morals weren’t compatible with sincerity. And perhaps that didn’t make one any more or any less righteous, perhaps the weight of a lie sometimes was worth the happiness that came with it. In the end, reality is nothing but a social construct.

To say four hours of watching the blonde being so ecstatic was making Hope _anxious, miserable, furious,_ was an understatement. As if the classes weren’t enough, she also had to see her at lunch. Lizzie Saltzman had the audacity to hate her practically since they met, and how was it fair for Hope to be the one paying the price for such unwarranted hatred? _It wasn’t._

“As much as I would like to sit here and wait for you to make a hole in Lizzie’s head, whatever this is, is actually painful to watch.” And Hope blinked, once, then twice, only to realize she was holding the knife so strongly it may break.

Penelope seemed to notice too and decided, for her own good, to carefully take the knife from Hope’s hand.

“Did you need anything?” Hope asked annoyed. Make she would’ve made a hole in Lizzie’s head.

“I told you, this is really painful to watch.” And Penelope seemed to notice Hope’s discomfort at the intrusion. “I know we’re not exactly friends, Hope. I saw you staring, and the other day Josie and I saw you…”

Hope turned abruptly at the mention of Josie.

“And why are you suddenly so interested? You said it yourself, we are not friends.”

“But we’re both Slytherins, you can understand that.” Hope wondered for a second where had the Penelope she knew gone. But she pushed that thought away as the movement in the Gryffindor table caught her eye.

There she was again, Elizabeth Saltzman and her stupid laugh, with her stupid friends, and her stupid cheerful personality that was all because of Hope. Because yes, Hope knew, Hope was the cause of Lizzie’s joy. While Lizzie was the cause of Hope’s misery.

She pressed the necklace in her hand, which she hadn’t taken off. Her grip was so strong as if she was, unsuccessfully, trying to channel all her anger through her hand. And she completely forgot about Penelope, she followed Lizzie outside the Great Hall not caring if she noticed, not caring that Penelope was right behind her, not even knowing what she would say once she had the blonde right in front of her.

And it would have been the worst impulsive idea ever, if it hadn’t been for that poor little first year kid, _Pedro was it?_ who was running around with the Remembrall his parents got for him. But Hope seemed so focused on the blonde that she didn’t see him. At least not until the he was kneeling on the floor on the verge of tears looking at his now broken gift. And it took a moment for Hope to catch up.

But she didn’t feel sorry, really. Where even were the teachers in that goddam school that left an unsupervised cry baby who would surely grow up to think so highly of himself that he would probably erase that pathetic memory of him crying over a stupid thing.

Everyone stopped on their tracks at the crushing sound of the Remembrall to look in Hope and Pedro’s direction.

Josie gave Penelope who was right behind Hope a questioning look and all she got in response was a shrug and a look that Josie understood as ‘later’.

Lizzie too was looking, if only she had a camera with her. She would’ve snapped dozens of pictures to torment Hope for the rest of her life. It was hilarious, the confused look on her face. _Was she just looking at her?_ And then the unimpressed glance down at Pedro who was practically sobbing.

What did bring Hope out of her trance, was Jed’s comment on the other side of the table. _Bless wolf hearing._

“I called it. Crazy like her father.” Followed by a chore of laughs from his friends. So much for house support and solidarity.

In the blink of an eye, Hope was pointing her wand at Jed’s throat.

“Say that again, you pathetic excuse of a Slytherin” And perhaps someone should have grabbed Hope but nobody dared to move. McGonagall now standing and watching the exchange carefully.

“You think you’re so cool and intimidating. You are nothing but pathetic. It’s so sad, really, to see you be so brave when I’m not looking, but look at you now, Jed. You’re practically begging for one of your dumb friends to come and save you.”

“What are you gonna do Mikaelson? Cast the imperious curse on me like your father did with that village before he killed them all?” Of course Jed would bite back. But Hope was glad.

“Hope… Let him go.” _When will Penelope just leave._

“See everyone is afraid of you. You look as crazy as your father. Let me go, you bitch.”

“You know nothing about me, or my family and soon enough you’ll be as dead as him.” Hope, quiet, reserved, small yet respectable and a little bit intimidating, yet sweet, Hope. It was as if, in less than ten minutes, the girl they all seemed to know was gone.

“You want crazy, I’ll give you fucking crazy.”

“Hope, please…” And then she heard it. This time a different voice. And this time she dared to take her eyes off Jed and look at the owner of that voice. The voice she loved and hate so much _. Loved?_

“Let Jed go, Hope.” She then felt a hand on her shoulder. Hope has always liked that about Lizzie, how she could seem so unafraid, in fact, it was like she could see all the good qualities of a Gryffindor in Lizzie. Lizzie, who was going to hate her for lying. Lizzie, who already hated her. Lizzie, whom she had made so happy. Lizzie, who was making her miserable. _Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie._

Next thing she knew, she was running. She thought she heard Professor McGonagall call out for her, but maybe she imagined it. Maybe she wanted someone to call out for her. Maybe there was only one person she would’ve turned around for. But she just wanted, no, needed to disappear.

Hope thought of her mom, Hayley. She remembered that time she asked her about Klaus, about how she could be with someone as cruel. Her mom had only smiled at her and after what felt like an eternity waiting for an answer, she elaborated a proper answer.

“I tried to hate him, Hope. I did. But sometimes, love isn’t as much of a choice or a force of will.” She thought she had made her mother sad, but instead Hayley smiled and continued.

“I wish you could’ve seen us together before the darkness overcame, little wolf. You wouldn’t have judged me, then. You’ll see one day, when you too fall in love. To love somebody can sometimes be like staring at a beast under a whole different light.”

She hoped she never had to experience that, nor put someone through such pain and disappointment.

She missed her; she missed her warm embrace in cold days like these. And maybe she knew nothing about love, but she knew enough about family to not see her mom as a monster either. Because who was she to judge a woman for protecting her own child? And maybe she did judge Klaus. But she never knew him. And maybe she did hate him, for everything he had done. But she also remembered small fragments and whispered words that had nothing to do with the beast she and everyone else knew he had been.

Maybe she understood Hayley’s words a little bit more then. She just wished she could’ve had a little more time, or just enough time to simply ask them _why._

The cold grass under her feet felt wet, and it also felt unusually like a touchstone in that moment. Before she knew, what remained of the day had already passed. The colours in the sky changed in slow motion, now the golden rays didn’t burn as much in contrast with the constant breeze. And maybe it was true what that little boy said once, maybe she loved the sunset because she was so sad…

“Nothing, and I repeat, nothing, justifies a student wandering around the Forbidden Forest without supervision.” McGonagall said.

She had the urge to roll her eyes at that. _If only she knew._

“Yesterday’s actions show the lack of respect you have towards your house.” Really, Hope huffed because McGonagall had to be kidding her.

“And you, Miss Saltzman. The house of Gryffindor works hard to accomplish excellence and I am sure they will be as disappointed in you as I am.” Lizzie huffed too and rolled her eyes. Because this was absurd.

“I am sure you can understand why both of you are being punished. I expected more from you, Elizabeth. From the both of you. Fifty points less, each, for your lack of respect towards the rules of this school.”

“You will help Madam Pince at the library every day after your classes for the next four weeks.”

“But Professor, our break for the holidays starts in three weeks. You can’t just…”

“I can and I just did, Miss Saltzman. Correct me if I’m wrong but only one of the two Saltzman twins is going home for the Holidays and it is not necessarily you, is it?”

“No, but…”

“And Miss Mikaelson here is staying as well. And before you question me again, I would suggest you both go to your respective classes. Now.”

“Yes, Professor.” The both said.

_Potions. Great._

The day passed by slower than any of them would’ve wanted. There was an awkward silence and this sort of tension neither of them could really place. Hope’s emotions were practically all over the place, but to be fair, it wasn’t that this blonde girl just turned her into a whole emotional gay mess. No. it was the feeling of wanting something she would never have what had her so emotionally unstable. She wondered if Lizzie’s episodes felt like that. If what Hope was feeling was even remotely close to that, or at least a small part of what Lizzie’s episodes felt like, let’s say her respect for the blonde increased exponentially. _Just for a moment._

Lizzie was unusually quiet. Hope thought it might have something to do with the scene the previous day. And Lizzie knew Hope felt uncomfortable. But she had her own problems, and she didn’t need to deal with Hope’s issues as well. It was easier to let Hope think her awkwardness was because of Hope’s state than to explain why she felt so tired.

Lizzie thought she had caught a slight change in Hope’s eyes even in the distance when she tried to keep her from hurting Jed. She had never seen the slytherin pick up a fight with anyone, even when during her first years she had to sit and listen to all sorts of students say things about her and the Mikaelsons. Even Lizzie had commented on it, they had both said hurtful things to each other over the years. But her reaction was out of character. It wasn’t like Hope to threaten other students, no matter how much they deserved it.

Something in Hope’s eyes felt familiar to the blonde. And for the first time since they met, she feared Hope. But what she feared, in reality, was that Hope could hurt her in ways no one else could.

Her walk through the Forest that night felt longer, and her anxiety was quickly rising. But she didn’t want to think, she wished she could turn off her emotions at least for a day. She didn’t want to feel sad or even happy anymore, because there was no use. And it was unbearable. And so she cried. She allowed herself to cry under the dark light of night. She cried alone and out loud. She unravelled her frustrations one by one as the night passed.

And not only she felt pathetic, she got grounded for it as well the next day.

And the morning didn’t wash way her sadness. Not this time. Hope and Lizzie finished her potion in silence. Thankfully Slughorn didn’t make them try the potion. She actually had to thank the Ministry for it.

Last class was Care of Magical Creatures. _Ah, the test._

Surprisingly for Hope and Lizzie, the test wasn’t that hard. They were both pretty sure they would at least get a passing grade. They both remembered how two days ago they were studying together. And something happened.

Something about that day, for a few glorious hours at least, proved them that maybe they could be around each other and act like normal people, as if there was no remorse or resentment.

“Why were you in the Forest yesterday?” Lizzie suddenly spoke up, picking a few books to put on the shelf.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Hope knew her tone wasn’t accusatory, but she couldn’t explain Lizzie why she was there. If she was being honest, she didn’t even know herself. After what happened, she couldn’t explain why she acted the way she did nor why she decided to go to the Forest. _Because of Lizzie. And Because of my seemingly unwarranted impulses._

“You are so annoying.” The blonde rolled her eyes.

Hope grabbed the last books and approached right to where Lizzie was.

“You’re one to talk, Saltzman. Has it ever occurred to you that, perhaps, I don’t want to talk about it?” She said as she reached up to set a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages in a higher shelf.

Lizzie couldn’t even fight the smile as she watched the slytherin on her tiptoes trying to put the book back in its place.

“Has it ever occurred to you that, perhaps, I was only trying to start a conversation with you?” With that, she took a step closer to Hope, she was inches away, so close they could almost feel the heat emanating from the other’s body. She grabbed the book from Hope’s hand and did her best to ignore the electricity she felt rising up from her hand to the rest of her body as her fingers brushed against Hope’s. _Did she feel it too?_

“Hobbit” She said as she put the book in its place. Her tone told Hope that she didn’t mean it as an insult. It was soft, teasing even. And the shorter girl wanted to smile too. Was that what it felt like to be friends with someone like Lizzie?

“Not all of us are half giants, Saltzman.” Lizzie laughed, and Hope thought that if she could make Lizzie laugh like this at least once a day, her whole life would have purpose.

They could be friends. _Or not._

Lizzie watched as the expression of Hope’s face changed once again. There it was that hostile look she would always give her. Lizzie just hated the way Hope seemed to hate her.

“If you excuse me now, some of us do have lives.” With that Lizzie left and Hope was left standing there wondering if she would ever stop feeling so frustrated by the blonde’s attitude.

“Lizzie, where were you?! I’ve been looking for you!”

“Josie, I told you I would be stuck with Madam Pince and the she-devil Mikaelson snake today.”

“Right, sorry. How did it go?” Lizzie started talking, she must have been self-absorbed in her own story when she noticed Josie wasn’t really paying attention.

“Josette I swear to God…”

“Sorry Liz, I just have a lot in my head.” Josie bit her lip and the blonde knew either Josie had done something or knew something she just couldn’t keep to herself.

“Okay, spill. What’s up?” Lizzie asked unimpressed.

“Do you mind if we skip dinner tonight? I really need to talk to you.” _Interesting._

They went to the Astronomy Tower. Just like Lizzie had grown fond of the Forest, Josie enjoyed the feeling of being way high up, the literal sensation of watching everything from a reasonable distance. Maybe that’s why she enjoyed playing quidditch so much and yet she was too shy to join the team.

The Astronomy Tower looked and felt like being inside Josie’s head. So full of an ancient, different kind of energy, something some people would call curiosity. Overflowed with longing. It had this craving sort of energy; like the kind of craving one feels for things that are unreachable, that was essentially Josie.

She sat by the frame of one of the windows, she looked at Josie and then her eyes fixed on the lake, giving her sister the time she needed to explain.

“Penelope and I kissed.” Said Josie pacing the floor.

“Okay…?” Lizzie said confused. It was quite obvious that they liked each other.

“It’s not okay Lizzie! I kissed her and before she had the chance to reject me, I freaked out and left.”

“Wait, you kissed her and then ran away? Josie! You’re unbelievable!” She opened and closed her mouth a few times before continuing.

“Penelope is head over heels for you. You can’t be that stupid to not notice.”

“What? You think she actually likes me?”

“As much as it pains me to say this. You should go and talk to her. Of course she likes you! At this point everyone has noticed the way you’re practically all lovey-dovey.”

“We are not!”

“My point is, she always looks for excuses to talk to you. We hardly spend time together because you are with her and even though I’m annoyed to no end, I haven’t seen you this happy in a while. Woman up already and go find her, now.”

Josie hugged Lizzie in a rush of emotion and grab her hand to go towards the Great Hall and find Penelope.

But Lizzie resisted Josie’s pull.

“if you don’t mind I think I’m going to stay here a little longer. Besides I really don’t want to see you kiss Satan in front of my precious eyes, I already do enough therapy.” She joked

Josie blushed and gave her sister a shy smile.

“Thank you, Lizzie.” And Lizzie smiled back.

Maybe this place would do for now. Lizzie wasn’t a big fan of heights, but maybe she could get used to this view. She looked around. It was like no one ever came here anymore. Or so she thought. The room was full of dust and objects of all sorts, it reminded her of her own spot in the Forest. She thought, again, that maybe what was so nice about that place was the yearning desire for the things that seemed most distant. _Something both places had in common._

“Oh God, sorry. I didn’t know anyone would be here. I’ll leave.” _Speaking of…_

“Hope? What… Hey! Wait!” Lizzie stood up abruptly. _Try to not look that desperate next time._ The shorter girl turned around and looked at Lizzie who was now right in front of her.

“Would you like to stay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments if you'd like <3 orrrr yell at me on twitter my DMs are always open (@skylabluthor)
> 
> All possible mistakes are mine but pls blame all the hours a day I spend at work + I'm doing a masters.  
> Anyways i really just wanted them to have t h e talk in the Astronomy Tower, brace yourselves for the angst next chapter.
> 
> Btw sorry if they're too long, I was never a fan of super short chapters/stories.


	4. Chapter 4

Both girls sat against each side of the window frame. They both knew it was a bold thing to do, it could either end up really well, or really bad. They stayed like that for a few minutes, both studying each other’s face, afraid that whatever that was, was just a dream or an hallucination. Wouldn’t be the first time for Lizzie.

“How are you feeling?” It was meant to come out soft, but the blonde’s voice sounded way too loud in contrast with the heavy silence they were immerse in.

Despite not feeling any sort of tension or awkwardness between them, both could agree on the fact that this was definitely surreal. What did they even have to say to each other? _Lots of things._

“What do you mean?” Hope asked suddenly looking right outside the window and fixing her eyes on the lake.

“You know what I mean. One does not threaten other students and make first years cry because they’re feeling great exactly.” Lizzie said rolling her eyes

“If this is your way of making small talk, it’s lame. Who would’ve thought there are things Lizzie Saltzman actually can’t do?” Lizzie thought her eyes rolled so hard she could almost see her own brain.

And Hope laughed. Because maybe this was simpler. Keeping a lighter tone. But there was also the fact that whenever she was with the blonde, she felt less tense. Maybe she, for once, was tired of pretending she didn’t know why she spent so much time thinking about this girl. She had spent enough time already trying to ignore the bigger, deepest truth since she accidentally set the blonde’s bed on fire.

“I was in a bad mood. Why were you in the Forest later that day?”

“Let’s pretend I am satisfied with that answer. And don’t change the subject. I asked you first.”

“Really, Lizzie? What are we, eleven again?” Lizzie rolled her eyes for like the tenth time since the Slytherin joined her. _Okay, maybe not the tenth time._

“And what if we were? What would you do? Burn this place down?”

“Are you… Passive-aggressively referring of that fire in your room years ago? Oh my God, you’re unbelievable!”

“For what, Mikaelson? For wanting actual answers from you for a change? You don’t get it, never have and never will!” She didn’t realize she was pacing until she heard a voice coming from behind. Hope was right behind her.

“What do I not understand Lizzie? Tell me.” Lizzie sighed.

“All these years, Hope, all I wanted from you was an explanation. Why did you hate me so much that you went to all that trouble of sneaking into the Gryffindor Common Room just to set my bed on fire?”

Hope couldn’t stand the hurt look on her face. Maybe tonight she could allow herself to come clean with Lizzie. Maybe she owed the Gryffindor the truth, no matter how disappointing or hurtful. It seemed like all she knew about life was suddenly deceiving. Every thought felt like a veil and she could practically feel her fingers playing with it as if trying to unmask the unbearable realization that maybe ‘truth’ was in fact synonyms with ‘integrity’ and that maybe lying was nothing but the self-assigned, and judgmental, power and privilege of deciding what the rest was or was not worthy of knowing. Who was she to take that decision away from anyone? Much less from Lizzie Salzman, who, as she had just said, has always asked for nothing but the truth.

“Come sit, Liz.” _Liz._

Lizzie crossed her legs, facing Hope. And Hope sat facing the window, wanting to avoid the blonde because she was sure she couldn’t do this if she saw the look on her face. It was easier to pretend she was speaking her truths out loud to herself than it was to face the reality of it all. She was about to pour her heart open to none other than Lizzie Salzman. The girl who will make the rest of her time at Hogwarts a living hell for this. Or maybe she wouldn’t. But surely, even unintentionally, she would.

“I didn’t start the fire on purpose that day.” It was a lame start. _God Hope, find your words._

“You probably don’t remember this, but we met on the Hogwarts Express. You were buying candy, and you…”

“Smiled at you. I smiled at you.” Lizzie said with a small smile on her face.

“And I can’t really explain why, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it; about you. I needed to know your name. I spent the whole year trying to find excuses to talk to you.”

“You could’ve just said hi” Lizzie said unimpressed.

“No, Lizzie, I couldn’t. Ever since I got here I’ve been nothing but the girl with a father as dark and crazy as Voldemort. You’ve even said it yourself.”

“Is that why you…”

“God no! Do you really think that low of me to set your room on fire because of a stupid comment? Besides, I know before the fire and before you started hating me, you and Josie were one of the few people who had never said anything mean about me. Not to my face at least.”

“We never… Hope I didn’t care who your family was. I still don’t. Every mean thing I’ve said… I thought I hated you. I had my first episode after the fire. That’s when it all started for me, the whispers and condescending looks. I thought that, for some twisted reason, you wanted me to feel how you felt.”

Hope ignored the ache in her heart. She could at least try to make the blonde stop hate her. If only that didn’t sound so ambitious.

“Lizzie, that day, I enchanted a note and sent it to your dorm. I was a few stairs away from the Gryffindor Common Room when Alyssa Chang and other Gryffindor girl walked past me and Alyssa told the other to not come near me. That I could kill her like my father ruthlessly killed people.”

She had to force herself to blink a few times to put aside the vivid memories of all the times she had been judged and insulted by other students.

“I guess it bothered me so much because for once I actually had something to look forward to here. Your response. Or your reaction. After hearing that I regretted it. Because whatever dumb things I wrote in that letter made me feel pathetic, like you would make fun of me for it. So I followed them, heard them say the password and sneaked in. I guess I hadn’t think it through, because I used a spell to destroy the note and next thing I knew, your bed was on fire and everyone came rushing into the room and there was I, the crazy Mikaelson girl, everyone was just waiting for something like this to happen to me.”

“So… You mean to tell me, that you gave me a note, you regretted it and you accidentally set my room on fire so I could never read it?!”

She winced.

“When you put it that way…”

“What the hell did that note say anyway? What could’ve been so mortifying?”

“I… Well, it said that you were really pretty. And that I wanted to be friends. I wanted you to…” And she bit her lip. She hadn’t even finished telling Lizzie what happened all those years ago when they started hating each other, that she was already about to spill everything else. _When I decided I was going to be honest I didn’t consider such level of honesty._

“Wanted me to what?” Seeing that Hope wasn’t planning on answering, she decided to interrupt her for a moment, and answer first.

“Careful Mikaelson, I could think you had a crush on me.”

As beautiful as the Astronomy Tower was, she felt out of place. She took her hand and guided her to the place it all began.

“Lizzie, what are you doing?! If McGonagall catches us again she’ll…”

“What? She’ll ground us? Stop whining we’re almost there.”

And there they were. In the dry winter weather, standing in the cold trying to stay somewhat warm. At least one of them was. They stood a few feet away from each other. Hope saw a spark in Lizzie’s eyes that had never been directed at her, by anybody, let alone Lizzie. She doesn’t remember the last time someone looked at her any other way that couldn’t be described as pity or fear.

““You asked me what I was doing in the forest the other night. I had heard what Jed said to you. And when I saw how furious you were… I got mad too. We may not be friends, Hope. But I know how damaging the word ‘crazy’ can be when it’s used against you in such a derogatory way.” And perhaps all those times Hope couldn’t see past Lizzie’s snarky comments, she had underestimated her. Maybe the blonde was as familiar with pain as she was. In a different way, of course.

“McGonagall found me here. I fell asleep against that tree” She said pointing to the tree they would sit when Lizzie came into the Forest and Hope was in her wolf form. “Josie told me, apparently Kirby the Squib thought he had seen some creature lurking and went to see McGonagall. She came to make sure it was nothing and that’s how I got caught.” She shrugged and took a few steps around the place, Hope following her with her eyes.

“I’ve been coming here lately, for a few nights, in this place I feel less alone” They looked at each other again. “I wish I had been caught at least doing something more heroic though, like saving badger guy from an unspeakable threat. But I was sad and fell asleep.”

“I will never understand why you hate Landon so much.” She said with a small smile trying to lighten up the mood.

“I don’t hate him, I just never liked him. He was so annoying following you around in third year like a wounded animal. And then he broke Josie’s heart. I can’t stand him.”

“And how would you know he was following me around? Careful, Saltzman, or I could think you had a crush on me.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes.

“Your ego is so big I don’t know how your head hasn’t exploded yet.”

They both sat again, next to each other, feeling the warmth of the other’s body and it should have felt uncomfortable, but instead if felt natural, as if they had been doing this for ages.

“Why were you crying that night?”

“I told you. Seeing you so hurt frustrated me. You know how I get sometimes… What people say about me, even other Gryffindors. Hearing that word being directed to you made me feel judged, and powerless, and frustrated.”

“it’s nothing I’ve never heard…”

“But you shouldn’t have to! Because nobody has the right to tell you who you are, or who you are not, Hope! For years I’ve watched you sit and say nothing while the rest kept being so goddam loud about you.”

“I just keep thinking that maybe they’re right. That they’ve been right all along.” And Hope wondered then if her truth was, in reality, a tragedy.

“My father was a murderer and my mother condoned every single thing he did. I can’t be much different.”

“But you are not them. When I saw your reaction after Jed’s words, part of me was glad that you finally decided to act on it and not let anybody else misjudge you. The other part of me was hurting. Because I feared that once you proved them right, you would also start to believe them. I have.”

She debated whether to reach for Hope’s hands but, for now, she decided against it.

“Sometimes, when you hear the same things being said over and over to you, there is a part of you that is so tired that you just have to believe them. Because no matter how hard you try, they won’t change their minds. And it’s vile of them, to always choose to see all your flaws instead of trying to see at least one good thing you represent.”

“Yeah well, I don’t really think I could ever be seen that way. You don’t know how I am, Lizzie. Not really. And you don’t know what I could do. Perhaps I wasn’t always a monster, but life has surely made me one.”

There was a pause. And Lizzie took her time to process what Hope had said. She believed Hope, simply because she has always believed that there was something good and special about the Mikaelson girl. True, Lizzie despised her. But she didn’t despise her that much. She thought of the way Hope’s eyes look so familiar. She thought of how natural it felt to be talking to her. How the Slytherin girl, with her long hair and her pale skin seemed to belong in the Forest.

Lizzie didn’t need to ask the question. All the pieces fit together and she knew this was why she had brought Hope to that place, of all places. What made this moment so different was the fact that Lizzie now knew for sure. Hope looked up and that’s when she saw it. Under the robes and tangled in the green of the Slytherin’s tie.

Had she forgiven her? Had she ever been mad? All those years of fighting, of competing against each other, all the emotionally draining hatred towards one another… to end up like this. Like they were always meant to share these moments in the night.

“Perhaps monsters deserve to be seen under a different light, too.” Lizzie said, and Hope had to turn her head to look at the blonde as if she had seen a ghost. It shocked her to hear those words coming out of the blonde’s mouth the way her mom had once told her. And in a weird way, when her eyes meet the blonde’s, she could see the reassurance she used to see in her mom.

_She’s going to hate me for this._

And she started crying. Again. Like she did the night she ran. But this time Lizzie was there to keep her from disappearing again, or from drifting away. When she felt Lizzie’s arms around her, she couldn’t help the sobs coming out from her mouth. She couldn’t be anything but loud because it hurt. Because she missed her mom and Lizzie’s kindness was the way the universe, even just for a brief moment, allowed her to come back. Maybe it was a sign.

“It’s okay, just let it out. The real way.” She then cried louder and wrapped her arms around Lizzie’s wait to remind herself that even for tonight she wasn’t alone, she didn’t have to be.

“It’s not fair Lizzie, it’s not…” I know. But how could she? How could Lizzie know what Hope meant.

She then felt the blonde’s fingers brush against her neck. Lizzie pulled out the necklace and pressed it in her hand.

Hope had to remind herself that whatever that moment meant it would be over now. She untangled herself from the Gryffindor to look at her and explain, but as she braced herself for the storm coming her way, Lizzie’s eyes looked calmer.

“Lizzie I…”

“You don’t have to.” She smiled again. And Hope cried again. And they went back to their previous position. Lizzie had that look in her face, as if she held the power of the truth and the whole world in her hands now. And Hope felt vulnerable, and she was freefalling as everything around her crumbled. And she felt unworthy of the blonde’s affection. And she felt relieved.

“Look at me, Hope.” Once again, the shorter girl looked up and Lizzie was amazed at how pretty Hope’s eyes could be even when they were filled with tears and sadness. She knew what it felt like, to be different. To suffer in silence. 

“You still want to be around me, despite knowing who I am, what I am…” She put her hand on Hope’s cheek and felt how warm the Slytherin was. _Of course she was_. And she remembered those yellow eyes that shone like the lights of a faraway fair, that hid secrets as ancient as the lands they were in. And she felt the familiarity of it again. And maybe for tonight Lizzie could pretend she had known Hope her whole life, that they had known each other in their previous life, and the one before that, and so on. And maybe her soul has always known Hope, as if they belonged in the same Forest; as if it made sense to simply exist together.

“I told you, nothing this beautiful could be dangerous.” And she kissed her. Because she was so beautiful. Because she was so sad. And because she didn’t know where her feelings ended and where Hope’s began because Lizzie Saltzman was _certain_ they felt the same way.

Maybe Hope Mikaelson was just as broken as she was. And she was as scared of herself as she was. And maybe they could both be afraid together. And heal together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like it's messy, but in my head it's because their emotions are messy. So it's supposed to be like that.
> 
> My awful mother who was a philosophy teacher once said to me that writing is oftentimes a cathartic process in which you really have little to no control over the outcome and I guess as long as it makes sense in your head, it's all good. 
> 
> I wouldn't know really, I majored in Economics, guys. 
> 
> Anyways, the thing is, I want them to get to know each other n o w that they have actually let their emotions take over. 
> 
> I didn't want Hope to tell her because I wanted Lizzie to figure it out. But I wanted Hope to *want* to tell her so this is the best I could come up with in less than 24 hours (work + university in the middle). 
> 
> Please don't kill me???


	5. Chapter 5

Kissing Lizzie Saltzman was like getting on a broom to see how close to the sun you could get. It was stupid. You could either die from the lack of oxygen once you were high enough, or you could actually reach the sun and burn to ashes in space and no one would hear you scream. Stupid indeed. And chaotic. But in all that conjecture Hope thought that there had to be something worth dying for.

Lizzie didn’t dare move her lips at first. Because the other girl had been crying, and in a rush of emotion she didn’t care and decided to press her lips against the Slyhterin. Or perhaps she did it because she couldn’t bear look at Hope and not do anything to ease her pain. But Hope had every chance to push her away, and she didn’t.

_Maybe she was too vulnerable._

But there was something in the way their lips connected that made the kiss feel innocent, full of the purest of intentions. It was a kiss given out of companionship and friendship and something more that they both could easily describe as love.

Hope thought that she could get used to the way Lizzie’s lips seemed to fit perfectly on hers, that despite being part wolf and being able to keep herself warm, Lizzie’s hand burned deliciously on her cheek, keeping the cold away.

Kissing Lizzie Saltzman was, perhaps, a thrilling adventure. And maybe it wasn’t so much about getting burned or suffocated trying to reach the sun, but it was more about that moment when you’re high up enough to look down and feel like everything is just so small. And it makes you feel bigger, and stronger, and the adrenaline would take over and you would scream and enjoy the fear and the wholesome feeling of simply just… living.

Lizzie was about to pull away, fearing she was taking advantage of Hope, but then she felt two hands in the back of her neck and the other girl was silently asking Lizzie to part her lips.

And if Lizzie was being honest, she didn’t care about the fact that in her head she was supposed to hate Hope, because, as she kept saying to herself, maybe she and Hope were part of something bigger. She wrapped her arms around Hope’s waist, pulled her closer and deepened the kiss with just as much passion. And it was a contest or like some sort of competition, but the good kind.

Lizzie kept giving Hope small kisses until the excitement had passed and so had the sadness. And all there was now, was the contentment of their bodies wrapped around each other in the coldest night of winter.

“What was that for?” Hope suddenly asked.

“Because you are beautiful. I couldn’t help myself, I’m sorry.” And perhaps Lizzie should’ve said something more, but she feared the more she said, the fastest the spell would break. Apparently, it was Lizzie’s turn to feel vulnerable, and to feel like she should run. But she didn’t want to, and she also knew she didn’t have to because Hope didn’t do that either. And she seemed content and if she ran, she knew she would have to forget all that happened that night. And she didn’t want to, couldn’t, forget.

“Don’t apologize, I liked it. And it did make me stop crying.” She clucked.

“That’s not why I kissed you.” Lizzie frowned.

Maybe she should gather back some of that energy earlier and be honest once again. She was starting to notice how genuinely insecure and self-aware Hope was. A trait she also saw in herself. She made a mental note to start paying more attention to those things. She had caught small glimpses of Hope’s personality, good and bad traits, but at the end of the day, she didn’t knew Hope at all. Not the way she now wanted to get to know her. The girl in her arms was a complete stranger. An old known stranger. The kind of stranger you see on the street and even though you know absolutely nothing about them, you would know them from somewhere if you ever ran into them again.

Hope was the kind of girl who, under different circumstances, Lizzie would have noticed. And the Gryffindor pictured her at the Three Broomsticks, sitting by herself and had they been actual strangers in that case, she would’ve still picked up some things about her. She would’ve fallen in love right there.

“I kissed you because you were finally letting me in. Because I thought we were finally putting aside our completely unwarranted rivalry.” She took a deep breath.

“It has been you all along, Hope. I know we’re talking about three nights only, but they changed me. And you felt it too because otherwise you wouldn’t still be wearing the necklace.” She grabbed Hope’s hand to make it look at her.

“I don’t care who you are, or what you are. And I understand your reasons to be wary of people or to keep secrets. We all have things we don’t want others to see. Trust me, I know. I know we have spent most of our lives hating each other, but trust me when I say that I have now realized how needless and deceptive were all those things which had been keeping us apart all this time.”

“How can you be so okay with this? I wanted to tell you. That first night when I saw you across the hall. But I couldn’t. Because you looked so beautiful under the moon and you looked so beautiful walking around the castle like you owned the place. I thought, for once in ages, you looked happy. And it occurred to me that maybe I could give you that. The company you needed. And maybe I needed it too, I needed it from you and oh God, I am so selfish…”

“Hope, breathe.” Lizzie was looking at her again with that spark in her eyes. She could seem playful and dirty and innocent and sweet all at once.

“I told you that you didn’t have to explain. And you don’t.” And it was in that moment that Hope realized how little she really knew about Lizzie Saltzman. Her sudden panic all forgotten.

“I’m okay with this because there is nothing _wrong_ I am supposed to be okay with.” She exhaled, and Hope did _not_ want to kiss her again.

“Even you deserve to have someone, here at least, who knows all the truth about you and still decides to stay by your side.”

“And that person is going to be you, Saltzman?” Hope said looking at Lizzie’s lips.

“I can be a pain in the ass when I want to.” And they both laughed. And it was Hope who gave her a quick peck on her lips.

Maybe they could stay like this forever.

“Let’s go, puppy. As nice as this is, I really don’t want to freeze to death or worse, get expelled.” She said getting up, offering a hand to help Hope get up.

“Lizzie! I’m not a puppy!” Hope said pouting. Which Lizzie found adorable. This newfound dynamic between the two was… interesting. Maybe Lizzie could even get used to it.

“I am an alpha…” Hope started and _oh god, really?_

“Okay, okay. You are a big, intimidating, ruthless alpha wolf.” Lizzie said unimpressed and she swore she could Hope puffing her chest with pride.

“But you seem to forget about those times you let me caress your tummy. You rolled onto your back practically begging me to do so.” Lizzie said with a smirk.

And if the night wasn’t a night of firsts already, well, let’s say Lizzie Saltzman never in her wildest dreams thought she could ever make Hope Mikaelson blush.

“Whatever, let’s go.”

“You’re still a puppy.” Lizzie whispered as they entered the castle again. 

“Well… this is me I guess.” Lizzie said with a small smile. “Thank you for coming with me, Hope.”

“Thank you for letting me walk you. Thank you for tonight, in general.” The shorter girl said.

“I guess I will see you around, then?”

“I’ll see you around Saltzman.” And with that Hope left, and Lizzie couldn’t fight the smile on her lips anymore, and for the first time in forever ever since Sebastian broke her heart, she stopped pitying herself.

Not that Lizzie was one of those people who would feel bad about themselves after a breakup or like she would feed the stereotypical and inaccurate image of the girl who feels worthless without a man. Because clearly she didn’t need a man to begin with. And secondly, because Sebastian wasn’t as important, and her happiness didn’t rely on anyone other than herself. And probably on Josie because she must have done something right in her past life to deserve someone like Josie in this one.

But yes, Lizzie was happy. Because she got her answers, and now she would stop being so bitter. In a weird, super intense and totally not cheesy way, whatever she and Hope could potentially be was making her feel less alone. _Intense much?_

If you asked her the morning after if, by chance, she had dreamed about yellow and blue eyes and a Slytherin tie she would have denied it.

“Morning guys” Landon said sitting next to Josie

“Good morning indeed” Lizzie said while taking another sip of her juice.

Landon looked at Josie with a concerned look on her face and Josie shrugged.

“She’s been like this since she woke up.”Already giving up on her sister’s mood swings.

“It’s scary.”

“I’m slightly concerned.”

“Oh shush, can’t I be in a good mood?” Lizzie said but not really paying attention to them.

“For the first time ever?” And seriously, Landon should just shut up and accept the good things.

“Listen to me mophead elf, I am in a good mood today and not even your tragic, emotionally exhausting presence is going to ruin it for me even if every time I look at you, or hear you say a word, is enough for me to do my best to fight the urge to turn you into a sentient jar of artisanal mayonnaise.”

“Now if you excuse me, my presence is required elsewhere.” She said and with that she left. She didn’t bother look at Landon or even her sister. She had been practically glowing all morning and couldn’t resist the urge to be with Hope. _Stop being clingy Lizzie. Focus._

“What did just happen?” Landon said looking at Josie.

“You know, one day you will have to really embrace the fact that my sister isn’t very fond of you.”

“Lizzie isn’t particularly fond of anyone, except you.”

“Which is why you shouldn’t take it personal. Anyways, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later, Landon.”

After classes Hope and Lizzie found themselves with Madam Pince, again, who told them to pick up the books in the History of Magic section and set them all chronologically.

“Who are we? Her house elves now?” Lizzie said outraged.

Hope laughed loud enough that Lizzie could hear and wrapped her arms around the Gryffindor.

“It’s called punishment for a reason, babe.” _Babe._

Whatever they were talking about, it surely wasn’t as memorable or relevant as Hope Mikaelson calling Lizzie Saltzman “babe”.

“Uh…” Lizzie’s usually pale cheeks turned into a considerable dark shade of pink and if Hope hadn’t known better, she would’ve thought she was sick. But Hope made her blush. And it was exciting and cute like everything seemed to be whenever she was around the blonde.

“I think I finally broke you.” Lizzie blinked and quickly untangled herself from the Slytherin’s grip.

“Excuse you, it was unexpected, that’s all.” Lizzie said crossing her arms yet smiling a little bit despite the embarrassment.

“Should I not call you that, then?” Hope said suddenly unsure. And it was a genuine question, and a valid one. They hadn’t really talked about their relationship but all things considered, neither felt like they had to at the moment.

_They kissed, like, twice._

They had also hated each other for six years, so maybe, they really should talk. But maybe they should also enjoy and see how things turned out. It’s not like they had also set a date to sit and talk in order to stop hating each other. It happened. And maybe this will unfold the exact same way.

“You can call me however you want.” And maybe it was the way Lizzie’s voice came out as practically a whisper. Or maybe it was the fact that her eyes suddenly darkened. But Hope felt something inside her wake up at the idea of calling Lizzie however she wanted.

“I will certainly keep that in mind, baby.” Hope Mikaelson’s wolfish grin was going to be the death of Lizzie.

As Hope got closer, the Gryffindor could see the way the look in Hope’s eyes turned into something different. Something she hadn’t felt in a while. Something Lizzie herself was feeling now.

“Maybe I don’t want to just call you however I want, Lizzie.” She whispered in the blonde’s ear.

“Maybe I also want to have you however I want.” Lizzie gulped. Oh God. Hope was talking dirty to her and she was loving every second of it.

“I’m yours.” She blurted. Surprising both Hope and Lizzie in the process.

“Are you… I mean really?” And it amazed Lizzie, really, how Hope could go from sexy to look like an actual excited puppy in a second. It was part of Hope’s charm and part of her mystery.

Lizzie took this as an opportunity to regain some control; it was her turn to turn Hope into a gay mess.

She pressed her body against Hope who was now trapped between the shelf and the taller Gryffindor.

“Really. I know we’re not exactly dating, but I want you to make me yours.” Lizzie brought her hand up to caress Hope’s hair.

“That’s how I feel, you know. Like I belong with you. And to you.” Her fingers now tracing Hope’s jawline and it took all in Hope to not pick Lizzie up, make her sit on one of the tables and truly make her hers right there. 

Actually, it wasn’t thanks to Hope’s ability of holding back that she didn’t take the blonde right there. Lizzie planted a chaste kiss on Hope’s lips and started to actually do the work they came to the library for.

All Hope Mikaelson could do was watch in disbelief how Lizzie seemed so composed as if she wasn’t talking about giving herself to her. And now it was all Hope could think about. Because two weeks ago she kind of hated Lizzie Saltzman, but ever since she met her, she kind of liked her too. And the girl liked her back, even though she also used to hate her. And nothing about that should be confusing, why would it?

“Would you like to come to my room tonight?”

“Come again?” Lizzie asked raising an eyebrow. And Hope realized how bad that sounded.

“Come to my room tonight, I thought we could spend the night together and talk… I’ll get snacks from the kitchen and I even have some cool stuff from Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes I could show you.”

But they both knew.

“What about the others…”

“I’ll enchant my mattress. Nobody would notice.”

And perhaps that’s not the wisest choice. But they’re adults. And they communicate. Lizzie feels no pressure. Hope doesn’t push. They both want it. They can talk later.

By the time they finished, dinner was over and they really shouldn’t be walking down the corridors. Probably it was easier when they didn’t feel comfortable around the other because they didn’t talk. But now conversation didn’t go dry as they slowly found how similar their sense of humour was, and how different their lives outside Hogwarts were in reality. And every now and then one would let the other know a little bit more about her life, which was like entering a maze, they would get lost in the fragments of what they knew and what they had pictured of one another. And it was enthralling, like being in the Forest, staring right into the Cosmos to find all sorts of universal truths.

Lizzie’s mind went back to the big white wolf that was actually the girl right in front of her and thought that she had been blind to not see it before. Perhaps she wasn’t really looking. _Ah, the eternal difference, to look versus to see._

She was reminded then of how she considered that white wolf a mystery, how her yellow eyes were so pretty she thought that maybe she lured other animals with them. It was hard to look away. The wolf seemed to fit perfectly in the cold nights of the forest as if it was a creature only meant to exist during the coldest nights and become a myth in the warmest summer days.

As she watched Hope pick up her own bag full of books, she saw the beauty in her side profile, and the cuteness of how short she was in comparison to Lizzie, how the silver and green of the Slytherin house really did wonders for her, and the way her hair fell like a cascade of long auburn locks. She looked beautiful, surrounded by dusty books, and she looked beautiful surrounded by ancient trees. Hope was meant to exist everywhere, and Lizzie wanted her to be everywhere. Whatever that meant. 

“Meet me in the dungeons, I’ll lead the way. And bring your pajamas.” Hope said still holding Lizzie’s hand in the Hall.

“And my flawless personality.” Lizzie said as she walked away.

Hope shook her head. Of all people, it had to be Lizzie Saltzman.

They parted, and an hour later that night they found each other again. That was the beginning of everything.

They would walk around the castle with a newfound air of mystery and mischief. The kind of secrecy lovers shared. It was amusing for the people who knew them how they now seemed to get into harmless banter without trying to kill each other.

They had fun pretending because that’s how they were; that’s who they needed to be. For the rest things didn’t change much, really. But everything was different in Hope and Lizzie’s little universe. In the privacy of their own world, wherever that would be, they gave into their deepest desires and their scariest emotions. They felt safe. And neither was one to deny herself the pleasure of getting what they wanted.

There was only one question hanging, one question that would change things for the better or the worse. As for now they were content with this, with whatever “us” they had built for themselves no one else knew about.

For both of them, their development was something beautiful to watch, if they were being honest. It was fascinating the way their own little world seemed to merge with the world outside their relationship. There were moments that gave it away, like the unspoken couple-ish acts in public what would leave Josie open-mouthed and Penelope giving them a knowing smirk; their inside jokes in front of Landon because, really, that boy had no clue of anything that was going on even in his own life; the stolen kisses every now and then. Everything was exclusively and entirely theirs, even each other. 

They watched the other let their walls down and both gave in to the passion and complicity of being young and, perhaps, slightly in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have said this before, English isn't my first language, oops. 
> 
> So all mistakes are mine but I'll keep blaming my job and uni <3
> 
> This turned out to have no actual plot other than Lizzie and Hope being messy and in love. In my defense, it's about consistency. I wrote a smutty one-shot and decided to sort of write how it all began. I wanted to make it cute and this happened. 
> 
> I'll probably write another one-shot about the continuation. I want Hope to ask Lizzie to be her girlfriend and all that gay drama. 
> 
> By all means, leave comments if you'd like and/or find me on twitter and send me ideas for fics @skylabluthor
> 
> Thank you for reading and for the lovely comments in the previous chapters, really. You guys are amazing <3

**Author's Note:**

> I kinda know where this is going but, as the hopeless romantic I am, I'm currently paying more attention at how I'm gonna fit cute scenes between them while doing justice to the Harry Potter Universe. 
> 
> Leave comments or yell at me on twitter @skylabluthor


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